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Category: Vaping-related Illnesses

  • Vaping Deaths Reach New High; Officials Still In The Dark

    Vaping Deaths Reach New High; Officials Still In The Dark

    Two more deaths and 163 new cases of vaping-related lung illnesses were reported this week.

    On Thursday, November 7, the CDC released the Latest Outbreak Information report for vaping-related illnesses and fatalities and the news was grim.

    With an additional 163 new cases reported this week, there are now 2,051 cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) in the US. California, Texas and Illinois have the highest number of reported cases while Alaska is the only state without a single reported case. 

    Vaping Deaths Rise Again

    The CDC update also revealed that there have been 39 EVALI deaths—up from 37 deaths last week. The average age of the deceased was 53 and ranged from 17 to 75.

    Officials remain unsure of the exact cause of EVALI though they speculate there may be multiple factors involved. 

    “The only commonality among all cases is that patients report the use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products,” the CDC noted. “No one compound or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these illnesses to date; and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak. Many different substances and product sources are still under investigation.”

    Statewide Bans

    A number of states have taken action against vaping in 2019. In September, Massachusetts issued a temporary ban against the sale of vaping products in a bid to stave off mounting cases of EVALI. The ban is set to last for four months but due to a recent ruling by a Superior Court Judge, the state will not be able to prohibit medical marijuana users from vaping THC, according to NPR.

    Vaping has also been in the spotlight due to its rise in underage users. Teen vaping has become a public health issue as e-cig companies like Juul have been hit hard by allegations that they’re marketing their flavored products to underage consumers.

    The Trump administration is reportedly finalizing plans to ban the sale of flavored vape products with the exception of mint and tobacco-flavors. Mint, according to a new study by the National Institutes on Health, is a favorite flavor among underage vapers. 

    “These findings underscore why the Trump Administration must stand strong and implement its plan to clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes,” said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Vaping-Related Fatalities Rise To 23 With Death Of Bronx Teen

    Vaping-Related Fatalities Rise To 23 With Death Of Bronx Teen

    The 17-year-old New Yorker is the youngest person in the country to fall victim to a vaping-related illness.

    A Bronx teenager has become the youngest victim to die of a vaping-related illness. The 17-year-old boy’s death marked the 23rd vaping-related death in the country, and the first in New York state.

    The boy died on Friday after being hospitalized twice in September for the illness, the New York Times reported.

    No End In Sight

    Across the U.S., about 1,100 vaping-related lung injuries have been reported, with the outbreak “continuing at a brisk pace,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC.

    New York’s health department has received 110 reports of severe lung illness in patients aged 14-69 who had used at least one vape product before falling ill as of Tuesday (Oct. 8). 

    Governor Andrew Cuomo warned families to be wary of the products. “Parents have to know; young people have to know. You are playing with your life when you play with this stuff.”

    New Jersey’s First Vaping-Related Death

    Last week, New Jersey also reported the state’s first vaping-related death, an adult woman from north Jersey.

    The FDA recently urged the public to stop using vape products that contain THC or any vape product obtained illegally. So far, investigators say that black market vape products that contain THC appear to be a common denominator in the outbreak.

    They may be on to something. A recent lab analysis commissioned by NBC News revealed that legal THC vape cartridges were found to contain no heavy metals, pesticides or solvents like vitamin E. But the majority of black market THC vape cartridges did contain vitamin E and myclobutanil, a fungicide that becomes hydrogen cyanide when burned.

    Recent busts have shed light on the lucrative business of producing and selling counterfeit THC vape products.

    A Wisconsin woman was arrested in late September for allegedly helping run her sons’ THC vape cartridge operation, which involved purchasing empty vape cartridges and colorful packaging on the internet and filling the cartridges with THC oil using syringes.

    Authorities seized nearly 130,000 cartridges that were either empty or contained THC oil between the family’s home in Paddock Lake, Wisconsin and a condominium in nearby Bristol.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • FDA, DEA Partner For Probe Into Vaping Illnesses

    FDA, DEA Partner For Probe Into Vaping Illnesses

    The agencies are focusing on vaping manufacturers in order to “[follow] the supply chain to its source.”

    The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will assist the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its investigation into the spate of vaping-related illnesses that have sickened more than 1,000 and claimed at least 18 lives.

    In testimony before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on September 25, acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said that the agencies will collaborate to determine “if someone is manufacturing or distributing illicit, adulterated products that caused illness or death for personal profit,” which would be considered a criminal act.

    FDA Waited Too Long To Review Vaping Products

    Sharpless acknowledged that the FDA should not have waited to review e-cigarette products, a decision which some lawmakers have said was a contributing factor in the rise of teen e-cigarette use.

    Sharpless’s testimony came on the heels of the FDA’s announcement of a criminal problem into the rash of vaping illnesses, which they announced on September 19. He mentioned that the decision to bring the DEA into the probe is due to the number of illnesses and deaths related to the use of vaping cartridges containing THC.

    As for the focus of the probe, Sharpless said that the agencies are focusing on vaping manufacturers in order to “[follow] the supply chain to its source.”

    Additionally, Sharpless said that the FDA plans to finalize a draft of new guidance for flavored vaping products. Warning letters will be sent to manufacturers that do not remove those products—save for those that are flavored like tobacco—from the market. Those that do not comply may be subjected to additional warning letters, as well as possible fines and injunctions.

    Why Did The FDA Take So Long to Act?

    But lawmakers on the subcommittee also wanted to know why the agency appeared to wait nearly three years in order to take action in regard to e-cigarettes.

    The FDA asked companies in 2016 to file applications to market products by August of 2018, but as STAT News noted, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb shifted the agency’s focus to curbing nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes, while also delaying the marketing applications to 2022 (the deadline has since been moved to May 2020).

    In response to the subcommittee’s inquiries, Sharpless said that the “FDA should’ve acted sooner,” but added that the probe, and the addition of the DEA to its efforts, should help them “catch up.”

    “We will not rest until we have answers to the questions in the investigation, and until we have dramatically reduced the access and appeal of e-cigarettes to kids,” he said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Dozens Of Mysterious Vaping-Related Illnesses Under CDC Investigation

    Dozens Of Mysterious Vaping-Related Illnesses Under CDC Investigation

    The CDC has identified 94 cases of pulmonary illnesses associated with vaping over the past couple of months.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating an outbreak of “severe lung illness associated with vaping,” according to an agency statement.

    They have reportedly identified “94 possible cases of severe lung illness associated with vaping” across 14 states from June 28 to August 15 of this year.

    “CDC is providing consultation to the departments of health in Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Minnesota about a cluster of pulmonary illnesses linked to e-cigarette product use, or ‘vaping,’ primarily among adolescents and young adults,” the statement reads. “Additional states have alerted CDC to possible (not confirmed) cases and investigations into these cases are ongoing.”

    Although the CDC has not yet concluded that vaping was the cause of each or any of the 94 cases identified, they have not found evidence that the illnesses were caused by an infectious disease.

    Spike In Severe Lung Illnesses

    According to Live Science, all of the patients have reported vaping either nicotine or cannabis products, and the most likely explanation for the sudden spike in severe lung illnesses would therefore be a toxic chemical found in e-cigarette devices. Boston University School of Public Health Professor Dr. Michael Siegel believes that this chemical is likely a “contaminant that is present in certain formulations of cannabis products” that may have been sold outside of legal means.

    It may be difficult to determine exactly what is causing these illnesses due to the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not actively regulate vaping devices. Multiple recent studies have found evidence that e-cigarette vapor contains a number of chemicals harmful to the lungs and possibly other parts of the body as the agents enter the bloodstream.

    A report released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in 2018 that reviewed over 800 studies on the subject “concluded that e-cigarettes both contain and emit a number of potentially toxic substances,” according to the American Lung Association.

    In spite of increasing warnings from scientific organizations and government agencies, e-cigarette use continues to rise, particularly among young people. A report released in late 2018 found that the rate of vaping among high school students jumped by 78% in a single year.

    This led American Cancer Society vice president for Tobacco Control, Cliff Douglas, to urge the FDA to “act as aggressively and expeditiously as possible to stem this dangerous turn of events.”

    The CDC investigation is ongoing and the public will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

    View the original article at thefix.com